John Boehner Gives Obama One Last Win Before He Leaves By Pushing Clean Debt Ceiling Bill

Speaker of the House John Boehner has lost to President Obama on every major crisis, so it isn’t surprising that Boehner is planning one final cave on the raising the debt ceiling before he leaves office.

Politico reported:

House Speaker John Boehner is looking to move a bill to lift the debt ceiling before he leaves Congress, a tactic aimed at helping his successor, according to multiple sources with knowledge of internal party planning.

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Boehner is in discussions with Senate leadership and the White House over a budget package that would include raising the debt ceiling, but House GOP aides do not expect the talks to produce an agreement. GOP leadership aides have discussed passing a standalone debt limit bill should the talks break down. Many senior Republican aides and lawmakers see a “clean” debt limit bill as the only real option.

The logic behind the move is that Boehner doesn’t want the next Speaker to walk in the door and inherit an immediate crisis. To people who are rational and sane, Boehner’s move makes perfect sense. In the Republican mind, Boehner will be caving to Obama and taking away one of the primary weapons that conservatives wanted to use to bend Obama to their will.

President Obama is likely to get another big win over the far right Republicans who are out to destroy the government. However, the next Speaker will be under intense pressure from House Republicans to shut the government down in December. By passing a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling now, Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader McConnell might make things worse for Republicans later.

No matter how one looks at it, one of John Boehner final acts as speaker could result in another political victory for President Obama.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association